What's open and closed on Black Friday?
Nothing on this page is closed the day after Thanksgiving except the schools — but two things are short. The stock market runs a half day, opening at 9:30am ET and closing at 1pm ET, and the bond market closes an hour later, at 2pm ET on SIFMA's recommendation. Banks keep normal hours, the mail runs full routes, federal offices are open, UPS runs a full operating day, and FedEx delivers on a modified schedule.
The confusion comes from everything around it: Thursday was dark, plenty of employers give the Friday off, and nearly every school district is out. None of that makes it a holiday. Two practical notes — the truck on your street is usually Thursday's collection running a day late rather than Friday's, and a package dropped late at a FedEx box may not leave until the next business day, because pickups go early in some areas. Over half the state DMVs close the day after Thanksgiving even though it isn't a federal holiday; your state's page here says whether yours does.
| Year | Falls on | Observed |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday, November 27, 2026 | Same day |
| 2027 | Friday, November 26, 2027 | Same day |
| Who | Status |
|---|---|
| Banks | Open — a regular banking day on normal hours, with the Federal Reserve open and payments settling. |
| Mail & the Post Office | Open — full routes, open retail windows, and regular collection pickups, though the counter is genuinely busy. |
| The Stock Market | Open until 1pm ET — a shortened session, with the usual 9:30am ET open and extended-hours trading cut short as well. |
| The Bond Market | Open until 2pm ET — an early close on SIFMA's recommendation, an hour after stocks stop. |
| UPS | Open — a full operating day for scheduled pickups, on-call pickups, drop boxes, and delivery, with scheduled dates holding. |
| FedEx | Delivering on a modified schedule — deliveries run, while pickups go early in some areas, so a late drop-off may wait for the next business day. |
| Federal Offices | Open — the Friday after Thanksgiving isn't on OPM's schedule; expect service, just not fast service, since many employees take the day as leave. |
| Schools | Closed — nearly every district takes the day as part of the Thanksgiving break, offices and athletics included. |
| Trash Pickup | Varies by city — crews are nearly always working, but the truck on your street is often Thursday's route running late, which pushes Friday's own collection to Saturday. |
Questions people ask
What time does the stock market close on Black Friday?
1pm ET. The open is normal at 9:30am ET, and extended-hours sessions are cut short too, so your broker's posted cutoff is the one that counts. The bond market runs an hour longer, to 2pm ET.
Are banks open the day after Thanksgiving?
Yes, on normal hours. Black Friday isn't a Federal Reserve holiday, so branches are open and payments settle — it's a working day for anything that has to be done before the weekend.
Is mail delivered on Black Friday?
Yes — full routes and open retail windows. Only Thanksgiving itself is on the USPS holiday schedule, and the day after is one of the busiest of the shipping year.